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Rothy's sixth silhouette is a Mary Jane with a cute bow. Mary Janes are stylish and desirable, but how practical are they? here’s an honest review.

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Rothy’s is known for 3-D knitting plastic bottle yarn into sustainable and stylish flats, loafers, points, sneakers, and boots. Recently Rothy’s has lifted plastic waste from our oceans and spun that into “statement” bags. Rothy’s is on point with sustainable fashion. After all, humans just can’t stop buying bottled water and using plastics! At this point, Rothy’s practically has an unlimited supply of plastic yarn! Thus they have introduced to ladies and gents, who love to spoil their feet, a new shoe silhouette: the cute and stylish Mary Jane with an attached bow. There are five different colors to choose from. On paper, the Mary Jane scores, but are they as practical as they are delectably adorable and fashionable? We don’t think so.

Practicality

The ribbon strips are frankly too short, silky, and slippery. Tying them requires practice. Rothy’s even have videos showing you how to tie the bow. Maybe I lack the fine motor or coordination in my fingers to tie them correctly. As the ribbon is silky, it is also slippery, so I found myself re-tying the bow and getting frustrated.

Pricing

Priced at $155 (USD), the Mary Jane is $10 more than Rothy’s Point and $30 more than Rothy’s Flat. The highest priced silhouette on Rothy’s is the Loafer, at $165. (I’ve always wondered why the Loafer is higher priced than the rest of the Rothy’s shoes. Rothy’s The Sneaker costs $145, and the Chelsea Boot costs $145, both of which are made with more material than the Rothy Loafer, considering the thick outer soles.)

Sizing and Fit

Rothy’s offers whole and half sizes. Rothy’s believes their shoes do not stretch and have zero break-in period when they’re the right fit, and I can attest to that, given I have so many pairs and have worn them through the years. If you are at half sizes, go with your half size. I’ve found that sizing up works well with Rothy’s points and flats. The Mary Jane is identical to the Point, save for the addition of the bow. If they feel too tight or snug (after a day of wearing inside your house), you exchange them for half or a full size up. (If you’re in NYC, Boston, San Fransisco or Washington, DC, you can visit a Rothy’s store and try them on!

I have wide feet and normally wear a size 8 (US) in Women. With Rothy’s I have always ordered a size 8.5 (US) in Women’s.

Unbox brand new pairs of Rothy's Flats and Mary Jane with me. Let's compare the Rothy's Mary Jane to Rothy's Points. Stick with Rothy's Points. For $10 more,...

Caring for your Rothy’s Mary Janes

To care for your pair of Rothy’s Mary Janes, simply remove the removable insoles and put your Mary Janes and the insoles into a washing machine. Wash with cold water. Some people also toss in a few ice cubes. Never dry your Rothy’s in the dryer. Rothy’s are made from plastic bottles, and plastic does not work well with heat! Air dry washed Rothy’s and they are good to go. I find that if I wear my Rothy’s often, I have to wash them often. They tend to get stinky fast, as I wear them without socks or tights.

In recent days, I’ve been asking myself, do Rothy’s shed micro plastics into our washing machines as they’re being washed? Rothy’s are plastic shoes, after all. This will require further investigation.

Style

With so many vibrant colors and styles to choose from, you can definitely elevate your wardrobe with a pair of Rothy’s. Below I matched a newly-released coral Samantha Thavasa purse to a pair of Rothy’s Flats ($125) in Coral. I find Rothy’s Points, Flats, and Mary Janes look great with jeans, slacks, and skirts. I haven’t rocked them with sweatpants yet. They also look great with leggings! If you’re going on a date, wear a cute pair of Rothy’s! (Just watch out, if you choose the Mary Janes, you may have to tie and re-tie the bow often.)

Durability of Rothy’s

Rothy’s 3-D knit shoes are durable. The shoes retain their shape after every wash and do not shrink. Please note that Rothy’s with rubber soles will show wear with prolonged use. I over-pronate my feet when I walk, run and stand; therefore, the heel area of the soles of my Rothy’s are no longer even (they are angled.) With prolonged wear, the vegan soles of certain Rothy’s silhouettes will scratch up, fade in color and “age.”

My friend’s feet look so sexy in Rothy’s Points (in Fawn)!

Comfort

Rothy’s are pretty comfortable when they fit well. The Rothy’s Mary Janes come with synthetic suede that kisses your heels. When you’ve chosen the correct size, Rothy’s should not slip off your feet. If you size up, you may be able to put in custom orthotics. Rothy’s Flats, Points, and Mary Janes barely provide any arch support, and may not be the best shoes for people with bunions. The new insoles that come with the Rothy’s are quite hard and thick; they feel like cloth-wrapped cardboard. I’ve been placing removable Allbirds insoles into my Rothy’s to bring added comfort to my Flats.

Rothy’s Return process

If you wish to return your Rothy’s Mary Janes for return/exchange, the Mary Janes must be unworn, undamaged, and unwashed. “Unworn, unwashed shoes in their original packaging may be returned or exchanged within 30 days of receipt. We partner with Happy Returns to make your returns & exchanges easy. Just make sure to have your order number handy.”-rothys.com This most likely means Rothy’s re-sell their returned shoes.

Our Overall verdict for Rothy’s Mary Janes

Rothy’s knows how to market to the masses, and create FOMO in women. You feel like you want to get each silhouette in a rainbow array of colors, even though you really don’t need to. Rothy’s shoes are undoubtedly stylish, cute, durable, and fashionable. In addition, the shoes are made sustainably and fully vegan (save for the flopped(?) merino wool line.) While Rothy’s Mary Janes scores many points, these shoes are also pricey. Should two strips of plastic-thread ribbon cost $10? After all, Mary Janes are identical to the Points in every other way. I’m not the biggest fan of the vegan leather outer-sole as they scratch up and quickly lose their color. I prefer the flexible rubber outer-soles. If you’re looking for a nice pair of pointy flats, stick with Rothy’s The Point, which are $10 less, and don’t come with bow ribbons that you’ll be tempted to scissor-cut off! It makes me beg the question, did Rothy’s have extra plastic fabric from all the bags they were producing, and thought, hey, let’s slap strips of ribbon to the Point and call it the Mary Jane!?

Friends, let’s be completely honest here. Even companies like Rothy’s can jump the shark.

“The Rothy’s Mary Jane Flat Is Like A Present For Your Feet” until you want to Snip off the bow…

What are your thoughts? Do you love the Mary Jane? Or will you stick with the Point and the Flat like I will be?

Rothy’s FAQ

Does Rothy’s offer discounts? - Yes. Teachers can get 20% off select styles. Through the Rothy’s referral program, you can give a friend $20 to spend on her first pair of Rothy’s. In return, you get $20 off your next pair. Note that you may have to update your referral links often. They seem to expire and become new URLs after 30 days.
Can you remove Rothy’s insoles?- Yes, you can remove Rothy’s insoles.
Are Rothy’s vegan? - If they’re not from the Merino Wool line, then the Rothy’s are vegan.
Are Rothy’s good for people with bunions? - Currently, the only style of Rothy’s that are great for people with bunions are The Loafers.
Are Rothy’s waterproof? - None of the Rothy’s are waterproof or water-resistant as of March 2020.
How often should you wash your Rothy’s? - Wash them often, especially now with the coronavirus COVID-19 outbreaks across the world. Take off your shoes and leave them at the door of your house (not outside the door, people will steal your Rothy’s.) Wash them in the washing machine with cold water and air dry only.
Are Rothy’s made in China? - “Since we own and operate our sustainable factory in Dongguan, China, only the Rothy's family—and no other manufacturers—touch our shoes during production.”-rothys.com
Do Rothy’s cause blisters? I have never had blisters with Rothy’s shoes. If they fit too snugly, it is possible they can cause blisters.